Headaches for the boss of the NPO

Since the beginning of this year, Frederieke Leeflang (53) has been the most powerful woman in Hilversum. As chair of the NPO, she must keep old and new broadcasters together. Just before her first summer holiday as a top woman at the NPO, the headache files are piling up.

For example, the public broadcaster must decide this week whether a financial sanction will also follow the strict ruling of the NPO ombudsman about Ongehoord Nederland. This dilemma has the potential to become an existential issue. Because how does the requirement that the broadcasters profile themselves sufficiently in terms of content, and the reality that the NPO increasingly presents itself to consumers as a single brand? At the same time, the pressure is also increasing to prevent even more new broadcasters from entering the system. State Secretary Uslu (D66, Media) announced in a letter to the House last week that he would set up an advisory committee. However, the Council for Culture recently announced that it did not believe in new criteria and advocated a numerical maximum.

And then there is the potential integrity issue surrounding Leeflang’s predecessor, Shula Rijxman. Central to this is a recently leaked email between Rijxman and a top official from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, which would indicate a ‘close bond’ between the two. The issue, explored in the BNR media podcast Koster & van Dijk by journalists Mark Koster and Ton F. van Dijk, raises questions about undesirable connections between ‘Hilversum’ and ‘The Hague’.

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Those relations were already under a magnifying glass when it became known that Rijxman will become alderman in Amsterdam on behalf of D66. She was sworn in this week. She told NRC two weeks ago that she advised D66 leader and current Minister of Finance Sigrid Kaag during her time as NPO director.

The bond between Rijxman and top civil servant Marjan Hammersma has now become a political issue, since it has become clear that a whistleblower is disappointed with the follow-up to his report. He had turned to the ministry in 2020 with information about constructions that would allow broadcasters to circumvent the standards for top incomes. He had come to an interview with Secretary-General Hammersma.

The whistleblower reported to journalist Van Dijk two weeks ago that he would never have turned to Hammersma if he had known about her relationship with Rijxman. This was such that, according to the leaked email, in the hands of journalist Koster, the top official was very much looking forward to a hotel stay.

In a response, Leeflang notes that the relationship was not reported to the NPO’s compliance officer, who monitors compliance with the rules and from whom advice can be sought if private relationships give the appearance of a conflict of interest. According to the current NPO top woman, seeking advice from Rijxman “was sensible”, although she states that she cannot judge the exact circumstances. According to Rijxman, she has never made a secret of her friendship, which the chairman of the Supervisory Board Tjibbe Joustra was also aware of, she said in a statement. When asked if she also thinks she could have been more sensible, she does not respond.

The Media Authority said it would look into the matter “before determining whether we will launch a formal investigation”. In general, the regulator, which monitors compliance with the Media Act by public media institutions, states that ‘it is the decision-makers within this system to ensure that they act properly and avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest’.

The issue is especially precarious for top official Hammersma. In response to questions from journalist Koster, she stated that she no longer has a direct working relationship with Rijxman since she became the highest official at the ministry in 2016. Hammersma says through the ministry to “always keep private and business separate”, and that “has been the case here too”. She shared the content of the conversation with the whistleblower “with no one but the minister”.

MP Pieter Omtzigt (Member-Omtzigt) has asked parliamentary questions. He asks whether the official should not have changed his clothes for the interview. A large parliamentary majority wants to debate with State Secretary Gunay Uslu (D66) before the summer recess.